Lettering instrument



C. R. WADDLE LETTERING INSTRUMENT Oct. 15, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 21, 1955 Fig. I

INVENTORQ CECIL R .WADDLE BY W/iTbRNEY Oct. 15, 1957 c. R. WADDLE 2,809,432

LETTERING INSTRUMENT Filed June 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- INVEN CECILRWAD E A ORNgY United States hatent aft-ice 2.89%,432 atented Got. 15, 1957 LETTERING iNSTRUl' /TENT Cecil B. Waddle, lgincoin, Nehru, assignor to Keuifel & .lIisser Company, rlohoiren, N. J., a corporation of New ersey Application June 21, 1955, Serial No. 516,881

6 Claims. (Cl. 33--23) This invention relates to a lettering set. More specifically, it relates to an adjustable scriber for use with the general type of lettering set shown and described in Patent No. 2,050,058 of August 4, 1936, in which a scriber having a tail pin, tracer pin and scribing instrument at the vertices of a triangle is used in conjunction with a template having a horizontal tail pin groove and character grooves.

Many adjustable scribers for use in lettering sets of this general type have already been proposed. However, most of these permit only a limited amount of adjustment and in most cases the exact height and inclination resulting from any adjustment are not readily determined. Furthermore, many of these adjustable scribers are quite complicated in construction and some require the use of auxiliary devices for setting the scriber.

The objects of the present invention are to provide an adjustable scriber for a lettering set of the type described including a self-contained chart for setting the scriber so that it will produce a character of any predetermined height or slant from a template. The scriber may be so balanced that the scribing instrument is normally lifted by gravity from the work surface when not in use. Furthermore, the scriber is simple and compact and may be operated easily by the use of only one-hand; the other being free for the location of the template.

These objects of the invention and the means for their attainment will be more fully understood after reading the following description taken in connection with the drawings in which:

Fig. I is a view in plan showing the/scriber adjusted for lettering at 30 slant and 60% height and illustrating the construction of the chart carried on the scriber.

Fig. H is a view in plan showing the scriber positioned on a template and illustrating the formation of lettering therewith.

Fig. Ill is a view in elevation of the scriber and template as shown in Fig. ll.

Fig. IV is a fragmentary view in elevationillustrating alternative means for locating the scriber in adjusted position.

Referring to the drawings, the scriber is made up of a body 2 which is preferably of a clear sheet plastic material such as a methacrylate resin. The body 2 is thus in the form of a plate-like member of uniform thickness having an irregular skew pear shape or palette shape as shown. The body 2 is provided with a tail pin 4 which fits into a tail pin groove 6 provided in the template 8 in conventional manner. The tracing pin 10 is also carried by the body 2 at the end of the small cross section. An adjustable arm 12 is secured to the body 2 by pivot means which permit angular and longitudinal movement of the arm 12 about the pivot means. In the embodiment shown, the pivot means is in the form of a screw 14 which passes upward through a longitudinal slot 16 in the arm 12 and through a hole in the body 2. The knob 18 is threaded on to the scr v 1 and may be tightened to hold the arm 12 in any adjusted position. The pivot screw 14 and the knob 18 are located in the general region between the tail pin 4 and the tracing pin 10. The knob 18 also forms a handle for holding the scriber when it is guided over the template in scribing.

The scribing instrument 20 is carried on the free end of the arm 12. The general term scribing instrument as used herein is intended to include writing instruments such as various forms of pens and pencils and also engraving or cutting tools. A pen of a type conventionally used in this type of scriber is used in the drawing. The scriber instrument 20 is carried in a hole passing through the arm 12 which is slotted as shown and is secured therein by means of the knurled screw 22. The scribing instrument may be offset from the axis of slot 16 and a height adjusting screw may be provided in arm 12 near the scribing instrument. The other end of the arm 12 is provided with indicating means which in the embodiment shown is merely the pointed end 24 of the arm 12. A chart is provided on the enlarged portion of the body 2 for predetermining the adjusted location of the scribing instrument which will enable the scriber to draw characters of any selected height and slant. In the embodiment shown, this chart is composed of two series of grooved lines which intersect each other .at various points. One series of lines determine the height of the character as a percentage of the vertical height of the characters provided on the template. In the drawing, these lines vary from 50% to 130%. The other series of lines indicate the slant of the character which will be reproduced. in the embodiment shown, these slants run from vertical to 45 forward slant.

The chart provided on the scriber 2 may, of course, be determined empirically by measuring the height and slant of character producedfor various positions of the arm 12. However, one precise method of determining this chart is illustrated in Fig. I. The scriber is set upon an external chart as shown. This external chart is provided with marks 34 36 upon which the tail pin and tracer pin respectively are set. The chart is also provided with marks for locating the position of the scribing instrument for various slants and heights of lettering to beproduced by the scriber. These latter marks are at the intersection points of the radial lines 38 and the parallel lines 40. The lines 38 radiate from a zero point v42 which isflocated along a line 44 making an angle a/2-with the line joining the tail pin mark 34 and the tracer pin mark 36, where a is the angle of backward inclination of the characters provided on the template. The zero point 42 is a distance d sin 3a/ 2 COS a from the tail pin, Where d is the distance between the tail pin 34 and the tracer pin 36. The parallel lines 40 are all parallel to the line 44 and points along any one of these lines all represent positions for the Writing instrument which will enable the scriber to draw characters of the same height. The particular one of these lines 46 which passes through the tracer pin mark 36 shows the location of all positions for the writing instrument which will-enable the scribertodraw characters of height. in other words, the characters will be of the samevertical height as the characters on the template. The ratio of the height of characters drawn by the scribing instrument when it located along any other parallel line 40 to the height of the characters on the template will be equal to the ratio of the distance of that line from the Zero point to the distance of the line 46 from the zero point.

The particular radial line 48 which passed through the zero point 42 and is perpendicular to the line 44 represents the location of all the positions of the scribing instrument which will enable the scriber to produce vertical a 3 characters. The slant of characters produced when the scribing instrument is located along any other radial line is equal to the angle between the radial line and line 48. The intersection points of the radial lines 38 and the parallel lines 44 on the external chart may be projected to form a chart on the body of the scriber by setting the scribing instrument over an intersection point and marking the corresponding point on the body of the scriber adjacent the indicating means 24 on the other end of the arm 12. Of course, once this chart has been determined for one scriber it can be reproduced by any suitable means on the bodies of other scribers without referring again to the external chart. If instead of the parallel lines 40 concentric circles are drawn about the zero point 42 through the 1%, 9t, 89, etc. points on the line 48 the intersection points with the radial lines 33 will determine the positions of the scribing instrument which will enable it to draw characters of the same slant height rather than vertical height. If the external chart is made in this manner and projected over on to the body of the scriber as described, the chart on the body will also indicate a slant height instead of vertical height. The chart may be made in either manner which is merely a matter of choice. 7

In the embodiment shown in Figs. I, II, and III, the indicating means 24 is located with respect to the chart merely by setting the point 24 over the desired point on the chart and tightening the knob 18. An alternative construction for the indicating means 24 is shown in Fig. .IV. In this embodiment, the indicating means 24 projects above the top surface of the arm 12 so that it may extend into indentations 26 provided in the lower surface of the body 2. These indentations 26 may be provided at any selected commonly used intersection points of the chart on the body 2 or they may even be provided at every intersection point of this chart. Preferably, the projection 24 is short so that it can also be set against the lower surface of the body 2 at points which are not provided with indentations 26. Other means may also be provided for locking together the indicating means 24 and markings at certain preferred positions on the chart. For example, a pin or a ball may extend upwards from the upper surface of the arm 12 and be urged upward by a spring provided in the arm 12 to engage holes or identations in the body 2. This pin or ball would be depressed against the action of the spring when the indicating means were set at positions of the body 2 which were not provided with a hole or indentation. Other modifications of the indicating means 24 provided on the arm 12 are possible which do not interlock. For example, a circular dot or ring can be marked on the upper surface of the arm 12 and used as the indicating means 24 instead of the pointed end of the arm 12.

Although the invention has been described in terms of a scriber having the scribing instrument 2!) on the adjustable arm, it will be understood that it is also possible to obtain many advantages of the invention by providing the tracer pin on the adjustable arm and attaching the scribing instrument to the body of the scriber. The lines forming the chart would take a diiferent form in this case but could nevertheless be worked out. Although not as convenient as either providing the scribing instrument or the tracer pin on the adjustable arm, it might also be possible to provide the tail pin on the adjustable arm and fasten the writing instrument and tracer pin on the body of the scriber.

Another possible modification of the invention is to provide the chart on the adjustable arm instead of on the body of the scriber. The body of the scriber would then carry the indicating means for use in conjunction with the chart. Alternatively'some elements of the chart could be provided on the adjustable arm and some on the body of the scriber.

It will be understood that in using the new scriber, the knob 18 is loosened slightly to permit the arm 12 to be moved longitudinally and angularly about the screw 14 to cause the indicating means 24 to'be lined up with the point on the chart provided on the body 2 which indicates the desired slant and height of lettering. After adjusting the scriber in this manner, the knob 18 is tightened to hold the arm in adjusted position. The tail pin 4 is'set in the tail pin groove 6 of a template 8 and the tracer pin 10 is caused to follow the character grooves 7 which are also provided in the template 8. The tracer pin 10 is guided in the slotted character 7 while the operator grasps the knob 13 and the scribing instrument 2%) produces these characters at the predetermined height and slant.

Having thus described the invention What is claimed is:

1. A lettering scriber comprising a body having a substantial t rea, said body including means defining a multiplicity of points spaced along two series of mutually intersecting curves, three elements forming the vertices of a triangle, namely a tail pin, a tracer pin and a scribing instrument, two of which elements are fixedto said body, an arm carrying said third element, means for securing said arm tosaid body permitting angular and longitudinal adjustment of said arm with respect to said body and a single indicating means fixed to said arm which can be brought into coincidence with said spaced points of said body by the adjustment of said arm whereby said scriber can be adjusted to scribe characters of difierent predetermined height and slant for'each point with which said indicating means is brought into coincidence.

2. A lettering scriber comprising a body having a substantial area carrying a tail pin and a tracer pin, said body including means defining a multiplicity of points spaced along two series of mutually intersecting curves, an arm carrying a scribing instrument, means for securing said arm to'said body permitting angular and longitudinal adjustment of said arm with respect to said body and a single indicating means fixed to said arm which can be brought into coincidence with said spaced points of said body by the adjustment of said arm, whereby said scriber can be adjusted to scribe characters of different predetermined height and slant for each point with which said indicating means is brought into coincidence.

3. A lettering scriber comprising a body having a substantial area carrying a tail pin and a tracer pin, said body including means defining a multiplicity of points spaced along two series of mutually intersecting curves, an arm carrying a scribing instrument and provided with a longitudinal slot, a screw passing through the slot in said arm and through a hole in said body, means threaded on said screw for securing said arm in adjusted position and a single indicating means fixed to said arm which can be brought into coincidence with said spaced points of said body by the adjustment of said arm, whereby said scriber can be adjusted to scribe characters of different predetermined height and slant for each point with which said indicating means is brought into coincidence.

4. A lettering scriber comprising a body having a substantial area carrying a tail pin and a tracer pin, said body including means defining a multiplicity of points spaced along two series of mutually intersecting curves, an arm carrying a scribing instrument, means for securing said arm to said body permitting angular and longitudinal adjustment of said arm with respect to said body and a single indicating means fixed to said arm which can be brought into coincidence with said spaced points of said body byithe adjustment of said arm, one of said series of mutually intersecting curves determining the height of the characters which will be drawn with the scribing instrument when said arm is adjusted to bring said indicating means into coincidence with points thereon and the other of said series of mutually intersecting curves determining the slant of the characters which will be drawn with the scribing instrument when said arm is adjusted to bring said indicating means into coincidence with points thereon, whereby said scriber can be adjusted to scribe characters of different predetermined height and 5 slant for each point with which said indicating means is brought into coincidence.

5. A lettering scriber comprising a body having a substantial area carrying a tail pin and a tracer pin, said body including means defining a multiplicity of points spaced along two series of mutually intersecting curves, an arm carrying a scribing instrument, means for securing said arm to said body permitting angular and longitudinal adjustment of said arm with respect to said body and a single indicating means fixed to said arm which can be brought into coincidence with said spaced points of said body by the adjustment of said arm, said means defining a multiplicity of points and said indicating means being adapted to lock together when said indicating means is brought into coincidence with certain of said points, whereby said scriber can be adjusted to scribe characters of different predetermined height and slant for each point with which said indicating means is brought into coincidence.

6. A lettering scriber comprising a body of clear sheet material having a substantial area, said body including means defining a multiplicity of points spaced along two series of mutually intersecting curves, said body having a tail pin and 'a tracer pin fixed thereto, an arm carrying a scribing instrument at its free end and provided with a longitudinal slot, a screw passing through the slot in said arm and through a hole in said body located in the region between said tail pin and said tracer pin, a knob threaded on said screw for securing said arm in adjusted position and forming a handle for the scriber, a single indicating means fixed on the end of said arm opposite from said scribing instrument which can be brought into coincidence with said spaced points of said body by the adjustment of said arm, whereby said scriber can be adjusted to scribe characters of dififerent predetermined height and slant for each point with which said indicating means is brought into coincidence.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,686,971 Valois Aug. 24, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 803,586 Germany Apr. 5, 1951 812,052 Germany Aug. 27, 1951 

